Innovation of the week: An automatic American Sign Language translator

Digital technologies already have revolutionized how the deaf communicate, but face-to-face conversations with hearing people who don't know American Sign Language can still be challenging, said Adele Peters at Fast Company​. Uni, an "automatic translator" gadget that attaches to a basic Windows tablet, helps deaf users converse without having "to hire an expensive interpreter or resort to writing or typing notes."

(Colin Pattison Photography & Cinematography)

The device uses two cameras to watch someone sign, then translates those gestures into English, "speaking in a Siri-like voice." When the hearing person responds, Uni's speech recognition software automatically types the words on the tablet for the deaf user to read. Uni's creators, who are deaf themselves, hope the device will open up new career opportunities for the deaf and hearing impaired.

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